God is Nothingness: Awakening to Absolute Non-being

Contrary to popular opinion, God is not a Supreme Being, but the exact opposite — Absolute Nothingness. In fact, the entire reason that people suffer is because they are attached to 'being', and fail to understand that Non-being is the very basis of existence itself. In the immortal words of the Tao Te Ching, "All things are born of being; being is born of Nothingness." Nothingness is not barren oblivion, nor the opposite of life and 'being'; rather, it is the creative, fertile, and boundless principle that serves as the source and ground of beingness itself. Empty and vast, Nothingness is pregnant with limitless potential and fecundity. In theistic terms, Nothingness is God. Rooted in the teachings of the world's greatest sages, such as Lao Tzu, the Buddha, Adi Shankaracarya, Meister Eckhart, and Nisargadatta Maharaj, "God is Nothingness" explores how Non-being is indeed the root of all existence. Even more valuably, the book reveals how to actually awaken to Nothingness—how to realize God.

Andre Doshim Halaw is a Zen Buddhist monk and teacher in the Five Mountain Zen Order, an independent school in the lineage of Zen Master Seung Sahn. Andre is the guiding teacher of the Original Mind Zen Sangha in Princeton, NJ. He practiced in the Japanese Soto and Harada-Yasutani lineages for several years before finding his home in the FMZO. In November 2012, he received inka (independent teaching authorization) from his teacher, Zen Master Wonji Dharma (Paul Lynch). Andre writes a Zen Buddhist blog: www.originalmindzen.blogspot.com. He is married, has two young children, and teaches high school English in central New Jersey. He also writes fiction. Andre offers instruction in the Neti-Neti Meditation process (also called Transcendental Self-Inquiry), as outlined in his book "Neti-Neti Meditation." Meditation retreats, instructional seminars, and workshops are available for individuals, groups, meditation clinicians, and wellness/integrative therapy professionals. For more information about Transcendental Self-Inquiry, you can visit Andre at www.netinetimeditation.com.